Does Notre Dame die with the baby boomers?

[liljoe]

I've always kind of wondered what demographic out there makes Notre Dame the golden goose of college football. When we're they last truly relevant? Growing up, kids who would never step foot on that campus wore Notre Dame shirts, hats, sweatshirts. I just don't see it anymore. The school I work at had sports day recently. Not one piece of Notre Dame clothing.

In all this conference expansion, the big prize is Notre Dame. How many more years until that ceases to be the case. I have to think that their fame will die with the baby boomers. I just don't see a next generation of Notre Dame fans. I have to imagine that Notre Dame sees this possibility as well. Someday they aren't going to get the big tv contract. I have to imagine that someday their independence will be worthless.

Does that force them to be pro-active at some point?

 

[arbitragegls]

...the truth be told...you most likely are right on...but ND will never accept that fact...just like an aging rock star...go until it is truly over and too late to reap the awards of previous success...
The midwest demographics suck...the ACC is where ND belongs as long as it brings its Football team...now word is that Texas has offered a home for all but football...hoping later to get all of ND...can ND be that stupid or just plain ignorant of all the facts....

 

[NKR1978]

To satisfy my schadenfreude, I was reading ndnation a bit yesterday. Basically seems to be a bunch of middle aged alumni or fans who cry that ND can't get Meyer or a big name coach to go there. Yesterday they were whining about the fact ND wants to install a video board! The horror! And they were complaining about piped in music.

They epitomize every Notre Dame fan I have ever known except for their alumni. Almost all are in their mid-30's and up. They can't get over the fact that aside for a few years in the late 80's-early 90's that ND has been insanely mediocre. If you're under 25, you have only known that Notre Dame has been mediocre and I agree that their non-alumni fan base is probably going to mostly die out within a generation.

 

[Tornado91]

As much as I can tell, Notre Dame's regression to mediocrity in the early-mid '90s followed the demise of the northeastern independents. There was a sort of conference-esque feel, with The Lambert Trophy in the NE. I often wonder what motivates Notre Dame's players from week to week. A game against Navy? BC? Pitt? Air Force? I suppose, but all of the old flings have moved on to other girls.

I've talked about it with a friend who played safety for them a few years back, under Willingham and Weis- I think the lack of conference affiliation at this point hurts them on the field. And while it definitely hasn't hurt their recruiting, it seems like it must be a hell of a lot tougher to play for a 9-3 or 8-4 season as opposed to a conference championship and banners hanging from the rafters.

 

[Toga]

The Four Horsemen

Arrogance - Hubris - Disdainfulness - S hit don't stinkedness

 

[cusestudent]

This is an interesting topic as the majority of kids that value a Catholic education or upbringing will always be drawn to root for or go to ND. If I did not hate the pompous arrogance that they held I probably would have went to ND for the Catholic education as well. They still have a heavy presence in NYC and the surrounding counties though, so ND will never truly die, but they will never regain prominence once the baby boomers die off as well.

 

[stuckinbig11]

Those boys wore ND shirts given to them by their priests. Times have changed.

 

[690West]

In a word, yes.

 

[MaxwellCuse]

My wife went to Catholic school and could care less about Notre Dame. Her sister did as well and she roots for Ohio State. I am a baby boomer and a Catholic who detests Notre Dame. I know absolutely no one in my age bracket who admits to being a Domer fan. I live in Eastern NY so unfortunately not everyone is a Syracuse fan, but at least there aren't any Notre Dame or Rutgers fans here (a local doctor is a Georgetown fan but I don't patronize him). This doesn't mean there aren't Notre Dame fans in our area. My mother-in-law watches Notre Dame religiously. She is 88. Many of her age cohort at our church root for the Irish. No, I don't think it's the boomers who are the last refuge of the Notre Dame subway alums, its the Greatest Generation. At least that's how it looks in this part of the Empire State.

 

[dinosaurbbq]

I sure as hell hope so.

 

[sabach]

Ask Gerry McNamara. As long as there are people in this country who are Irish and/or who are Catholic, there will be ND football fans all over the US.

And yes, I also hated the Ozzy Osbourne piped in music at the USC game as did my ten year old son.